1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to the field of transdermal administration of active ingredients by iontophoresis and, more particularly, to methods of predicting an amount, a rate, a dose, and/or an efficiency associated with the iontophoretic administration of drug to a living organism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Iontophoresis employs an electromotive force and/or current to transfer an active ingredient (e.g., a charged substance, an ionized compound, an ionic drug, a therapeutic, a bioactive-agent, and the like), to a biological interface (e.g., skin, mucus membrane, and the like), by applying an electrical potential to an electrode proximate an iontophoretic chamber comprising a similarly charged active ingredient and/or its vehicle. For example, a positively charged ion is transferred into the skin at an anode side of an electric system of an iontophoresis device. In contrast, a negatively charged ion is transferred into the skin at a cathode side of the electric system of the iontophoresis device.
Although skin is one of the most extensive and readily accessible organs, it has historically been difficult to deliver certain active agents transdermally. Often a drug is administered to a living body mainly through the corneum of the skin. The corneum, however, is a lipid-soluble high-density layer that makes the transdermal administration of high water-soluble substances and polymers such as peptides, nucleic acids, and the like difficult.
Generally it is difficult to iontophoretically administer an effective dose of a drug without damaging the skin of a living organism. It is also generally difficult to iontophoretically administer an effective dose of a drug within an acceptable time period. Consequently, iontophoresis is clinically used to administer only a limited number of drug types.
Attempts have been made to find correlations between structure, or other characteristic of a drug, and the dose, or delivery rate associated with the iontophoretic administration of the drug to a living organism. Often, however, determining such correlations requires in vivo testing. Accordingly, a need exist for determining, for example, a dose or deliver rate associated with the iontophoretic administration of the drug without the use of in vivo testing.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the shortcomings set forth above, and/or providing further related advantages.